Power take-off unloading attachment



Feb 8 l944- E. R. PFEIFFr-:R Erm. 2,340,933

POWER TAKE OFF UNLOADING ATTACHMENT Feb 8, 1944, E. R. PFElFFER ETAL- 2,340,983

POWER TAKE OFF UNLOADING ATTACHMENT Filed May 23, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet-Z @M im www 23W m-punmcg @WWW Feb. 8, 1944.

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POWER TAKE oFF UNLOADING ATTACHMENT Filed May 23, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7a '566g l 617-665 74 ,75

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xry vmprovex'nent in achment, wherein it for unloading a h irivention is'to debo and timev in the unfor unloading mavatoxg, bin,or on the zplain lthe principles of ve hown-.vthe unloading de- ,e same unloading gr `V)vaty of purposes too and with .various other withtngtliius scite .useqmn conjunction with a blower. It should be understood that device. We have considerable adion ith-,a blower, such as nlage have-described this nina complish this aim. we 1V ovel Ltype of` unloading ,.50 Digipnf deals particularly l t Ould 'milarlybe used in con.

his-,use the vehicle i 1 `,ted to. the blower VVs o extreme imporvieI .ofthe scarcity-` rowEn'rAKu-orr UNLoAnrNG" ATTACHMENT aimer n. ruiner', summa Township. Redwood County, and Edmond A. Sodcm and Fred -Pfeiiler,Morton.'Minn.

piiucation May z3, 1942, serial No. 444,246

(ci. 21H3) A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a device which is fully automatic in operation once it has been connected up. Inzorder to operate the device, it is only necessary to move the vehicle rinto position to, feed into the hopper of the blower or elevator.

and to connect the sprocket' shaft of the unloading chains to the variable speed mechanism operated in conjunction with the blower, elevator, or other device. This may be done while the..

blower or elevator is in motion. A .feature of the present invention lies in the provision of an unloading means which may be operated manually, if it is so desired.. Our variable speed mechanism connecting the blower, or elevator to thevehicle is so arranged that the vehicle may (beinnloaded manually, if it is so w These and other objects and novel featur of t ourinvention will be more clearly and fully set f forth in the following speclilcatlon and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of our specification:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatictop `plan'view illus--4 trating the ensilage blower, the hopper fori* feeding material' into the same, the variable-ppeed mechanism driven by the blower,i the'wagom trailer, or truck equipped-,with our unloading device, and the connection between thefunloading device and the variablespeed mechanism.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section through the wagon or trailer showing our unloadl ing device applied thereto.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic section taken on a vertical plane through the'hopper and ensilage blower showingvthe relative relationship of the parts thereof. v

Figure 4 is aside elevational view of the variable speed mechanism for driving the unloading device.

Figure 5 isa detailed view of the speed varying device and the variable speed mechanism".

Figure 6 ils a side elevational View of the vari able speed mechanism showing the eccentric for operating the same.

Figure 7 is -a viewsimilar to Figure 6 showing the parts in a slightly different relation.

. Figure 8 is a side view of the manual unloading` means.,

in general by the letter A. The blower A includesl strengthen this connection.

a spiral casing I having a central inlet opening Il illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, and an outlet l2 into which is connected a series of tubular sleeves through which tlief'ensilage is blown into the silo. A substantially U-shaped frame I3 and may be moved about from one position to.

another.v c J g A blower such as 23 is mounted within the casing I5 and is rotatably supported upon a shaft 24. The shaft 24 is provided with a pulley 25 through which power may be supplied to operate the blower. A bevel gear 25 is also mounted upon the shaft 24, which gear cooperates with a second bevel gear 21 enclosed on the shaft 29 extending longitudinally of the blower casing. The "shaft 29 is supported by suitable supports 35 secured to the' casing |5 and the rear end of the shaftf29' supports a sprocket 3|. An aligned sprocket 32 is mounted upon a parallel shaft 33 which extends longitudinally of the blower casing |5 and which extends through flanges 34 secured to the wall of the blower casing I5. A chain 35 connects thesprockets 3| and 32 so that the shaft 29 acts to drive the shaft 33. A clutch 38 is provided in the shaft 33, to permit operation of the blower independently of the hopper conveyor and of the variable speed mechanism.

An elongated trough-shaped hopper 35 isfpivotally supportd upon .the shaft 33. This hopper 35 is designed to receive the ensilage from the wagon or trailer and to convey the same into the blower. The hopper-35 includes a bottom 31, and side walls 39 and45, as well as an end wall 4|. As best seen in Figure 3 of the drawings, a false bottom 42 is provided,and a false end wall 43 is also provided so as to support the ensilage.

A pair of sprockets 44 are mounted upon the shaft 33 in spaced relation. r Aligned sprockets 45 are provided on a shaft 45 extending transversely through the hopper 3511;. near the end thereof. Idle sprockets 41 and 45-y are provided within the hopper so as to change the direction of the chains 55 which operate between the aligned sprockets. Transversely extending blades or pusher bars 5| connect the chains 55 and act to push the ensilage along the false bottom 42 and into the blower casing I5. An inclined lip 52 extends from the side 39 of the hopper to guide the ensilage into thehopper 35.

A beveled gear 53 is mounted upon the shaft 33 and engages a cooperable bevel gear 54 on a shaft 55 parallel to the blower shaft 24 and supported between the blower casing I 5 and a bracket 55. Mounted on the shaft 55 we provide an eccentric 51, best illustrated in Figures 1, 6, and 7 of the drawings. An eccentric strap 55 encircles the eccentric and is pivotally connected at 55 to an arcuated slide guide 5|. The slide guide 5| is pivotally mounted at 52 to an upright support 53 secured to the frame member I3. A slide 54 which is movable longitudinally of the slide guide 8| and which engages the flange 55 thereof is pivotally connected at 55 to link means 51 and also to a pair of pawl arms 58 and 15.

The front axlesV The link means 51 is pivoted at 1| to a lever 1 which is heid in set position by an adjustment bar 13. The adjustment bar 13 is provided with a series of spaced slots 14 therein which are engageable with a pin 15 on the handle 12. The bar 13 is pivotally connected at 15 to the upright standard 53 and may be raised. as illustrated in n Adottedoutline in Figure 5 of ,theI4 drawings.- if..the

pivotally connected to their respective arms 59 i5y and 15. These. pawlsact vto advance the ratchet wheel 19 a step at a time and the amount of advancement depends to some extent upon the position of the operating lever 12. 'I'he amount of movement of the pawl arms 59 and 15 depends 2o upon the position of the slide 54 with respect to its arcuated slide guide 5|. Obviously, as the' slide 54 is pushed more closely adjacent the pivot 52 the movement of the pawl arms 55 and 15 will decrease. Similarly by swinging the lever 12 in a counter-clockwise direction so that the slide 54 is positioned at a considerable distance from the pivot 52 the movement of the pawl 'arms 55 and 15 wilibe materially increased.

The wagon or trailer used in conjunction with the ensilage blower is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. This wagon or trailer may be of any suitable type and is shown including spaced parallel sides 32 and inclined forward wall 53, and a removable rear wall 54. The rear 35 wall 54 is shown vertically slidable between a slide guide 85, although inusual practice any suitable means may be provided for supporting this rear wall. A floor 55 is provided on" the wagon or trailer onto to which the ensilage is piled.

Suitable supporting brackets 51 project downwardly from the wagon to support the rear axle 89 upon which are rotatably supported the rear wheels 95. Suitable brackets 9| may also be provided for supporting the front axle 92 which sup- -ports the front wheels 93. The wheels 93 are shown pivotally attached at 94 to the front axle 92 and arms 95 may be connected by a suitable tie rod 95, which may be pivotally secured at 91 to the rear end of the tongue or draw bar 99. This tongue or draw bar 99 is pivotally secured to the front axle at |55. Thus pivotal movement oi' the draw bar will actv to pivotally move the front wheels 93. Obviously, the entire axle 92 may be pivotally supported to the wagon or trailer if it is so desired.

A pair of sprocket shafts |5| and |52 extend transversely of the wagon B and support sprockets in spaced relation. The shaft |5| supports spaced sprockets |53, while the rear shaft |52 supports spaced sprockets |54 which are in alignment with the sprockets |53. Spaced parallel chains |55 extend over the sprockets |53 and |54.

Paddles or blades |55 are secured between the chains |55=so as to push the ensilage toward the rear end of the wagon along the floor 85. The `sprockets are so positioned that the upper portion of the chain extends over the floor and socket end ||5 of a universal joint I. A squared shaft ||2 extends from the universal joint and extends into a squared recess or socket within the sleeve ||3. The universal joint III connects the socket sleeve ||3 to the shaft ||5 of the ratchet wheel 19. l

The hopper 36 is pivotally supported to the blower so that this hopper may be raised during movement of the blower from place to place. In order to assist in the operation of the hopper I provide an upright supporting means ||1 secured to the blower casing I which supports a lever I I9 intermediate its ends at the pivot point |20. A yoke |2| pivoted to the hopper 36 at |22 is connected by the exible connecting means |23 to one end of the lever I9, and a spring |24 is connected to the other end of the lever ||9. 'I'his spring |24 is anchored to the blower casing |0 and acts to counterbalance the weight ofthe hopper 36 to facilitate the pivoting of the same into the dotted outline position illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. s

In operation the wagon B is filled with ensilage and is backed up to the hopper 36 so that the rear end of the wagon will feed into the hopper. 'I'he connecting means is then extended between the shaft ||5 of the sprocket wheel 19 and the sprocket shaft 02, the shaft I2 sliding in the socket ||3 to compensate for any variation in length between these elements. The pulley 25 is then connected by a belt to a source 4of supply of power, such as to the take off sheel of a tractor and the blower is started. 'I'he blower is started by rotation of the pulley 25.

As the pulley 25 is rotated the fan 23 within the casing I0 is rotated, acting to blow ensilage through the outlet I2 and through any desired series of tubular connectors into the silo or other suitable place. Simultaneously, power is transmitted through the bevel gears 26 and 21, the shaft 29, a chain 35 and the shaft 33 and to the spaced chains 50 within the hopper 36. 'I'hese chains 50 draw ensilage along the hopper and into the blower casing I0. The clutch 36 permits independent operation of theblower when desired.

Simultaneously, power is transmitted through the beveled gears 3 and 54 to the shaft 55 to operate the eccentric 51. This action swings the slide guide 6| about its center 62. The slide 64 mounted on the slide guide is swung toward and away from the ratchet wheel 19. This action pivots the ratchet arms' 69 and 10, acting to spread these arms apart and to pull the same together. During this movement the pawls 80 and 8| engage the teeth of the ratchet 19 to advance the ratchet wheel. By adjustment of the position of the lever 12, the position of the slide 64 on the guide 6I may beadiusted so that the slide 64 will travel through a greater or lesser degree of movement as is desired. Obviously the greater the movement of the slide 64 toward and away from the ratchet wheel 19, the greater will be the movement oi this ratchet for each rotation of the blower shaft.

Movement is transmitted from the ratchet wheel 19 to its shaft ||5 and this shaft l I5 transmits movement through the universal joints III and IM, through the squared shaft I|2 and its socket ||3 and through the socket ||0 to the sprocket shaft |02. Thus as the blower operates the ensilage is pushed toward the rear of the trailer or wagon by means of the paddles or blades |06 which force the ensilage into the hopper 35.

When it is desired to unload the vehicle manually, means are provided so that this result can be accomplished. A ratchet |25 is provided upon Vthe shaft |02. A lever |26 is pivoted on the shaft l |02, and may, if desired, be removed therefrom. A pawl |21 is provided on the lever |26 which is engageable with the ratchet |25 to rotate the shaft |02 on which the ratchet is mounted. This direct rotative force will quickly unload the vehicle if manual unloading is desirable. Furthermore, the lever |26 may be u sed to supplement the automatic operation, to speed up the automatic operation, and to smooth out irregularities in the unloading.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our power take-off unloading attachment,- and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, we desire to have it understood that obvious changes maybe made within the scope of the following claims without depazing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In combination, a conveying mechanism, a vehicle for containing material to be conveyed, an unloading device on said vehicle, and intermittently operable variable speed mechanism connecting said conveying device `to said unloading device for operating said unloading device.

2. In combination, a conveying mechanism, a means for operating said conveying device, a vehicle, an unloading device for said vehicle Vincluding a pair of longitudinally extending chains in said vehicle, sprocket means supporting said chains, paddles connecting said chains for pushing the material to be blown from said vehicle, and intermittently operable variable speed mechanism connecting said conveying device to said sprockets for operating the same.

3. In combination, a blower, means for operating said blower, means for feeding material into said blower, means connecting said blower and said feeding means to operate the samein unison. a vehicle for carrying material to be blown, an unloading device in said vehicle comprising an endless conveyor, and intermittently operable means for connecting said conveyor to said blower for operating the same in unison, said connecting means including a variable speed device.

4. In combination a conveying mechanism, a vehicle for containing material to be conveyed, an unloading device on said vehicle, means connecting said conveying device to said unloading l.device for intermittently operating said unloading device, and means in said connecting means for varying the speed of said intermittently operable unlocking device.

5. In combination a conveying mechanism, a means for operating said conveying mechanism, a vehicle for containing material to be conveyed, an unloading device on said vehicle, and means connecting said conveying device to said unloadl ing device for operating said unloading device,

said means including means for converting continuous movement to intermittent movement to drive said unloading device intermittently, said last named means including means for varying the speed of said unloading device.

ELMER R. PFEIFFER EDMOND A. SODEM. FRED PF'EIFFER. 

